TOKYO, March 21 (Xinhua) -- A record 6,482 people were investigated by Japanese police for cannabis-related cases in 2023, with teens and young adults in their 20s accounting for over 70 percent, police said Thursday.

The figure, up 1,140 from the year before, exceeded those associated with stimulant drugs for the first time since data became available in 1958, according to the National Police Agency.

Of those involved in police-handled cannabis cases, 3,545 were in their 20s, making up the largest group, followed by 1,222 people below the age of 20 and 974 people in their 30s, the data showed.

"The widespread use of smartphones has led to greater exposure to incorrect information about marijuana, potentially reducing the psychological barriers to its use," an agency officer said.

Meanwhile, the number of people involved in cases related to illegal "dangerous drugs," or designer drugs with effects similar to those of stimulants and cannabis, climbed to 424, up 145 from the previous year.

After hitting a peak in 2015, the total of such people decreased as shops selling designer drugs were eliminated in the country, according to police. Enditem

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